This invention relates to a surface skin-covered molded cushioning material which is mainly used as an interior finishing material of a vehicle, such as an armrest for an automobile, and a process for producing the same.
A surface skin-covered molded cushioning material in which the surface of a base material is covered with a surface skin material via a cushion layer and said cushion layer is integrated with said base material and said surface skin material has conventionally been used widely as an interior finishing material of a vehicle or the like. This kind of conventional surface skin-covered molded cushioning material is produced by matching a bottom split mold in which a surface skin material is closely contacted by suction with the inner surface thereof and a top split mold in which a base material is set so that the circumferential portion of said base material is closely contacted with the vicinity of the circumferential portion of said surface skin material; pouring a foamable synthetic resin material into a space formed between said base material and said surface skin material; and forming said synthetic resin material to mold a cushion layer. Therefore, together with gas (hereinafter referred to as "foamed gas") generated as a result of foaming of said synthetic resin material, said synthetic resin material is oozed out from the close contact face of said base material and said surface skin material and attached to the back face of said base material, which causes problems such as fitting failure of a produced molded cushioning material to a vehicle and lowering of fitting precision.
As a measure for solving the problems, it has been attempted to apply adhesive sealing to the entire circumferential portion of said close contact face. However, there are problems that a complicated operation is required, degassing cannot be carried out and said surface skin material is wrinkled or said surface skin material is swelled due to the influence of residual gas in said space.